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The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)
The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe 'is the 2011 Christmas Special of ''Doctor Who. It was written by Steven Moffat, directed by Farren Blackburn and featured Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Claire Skinner as Madge Arwell. Overview To be added Synopsis It's Christmas Eve, 1938, when Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel as she cycles home. He promises to repay her kindness - all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, a devastated Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. She is crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the channel, but determined to give Lily and Cyril the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are surprised to be greeted by a madcap caretaker whose mysterious Christmas gift leads them into a magical wintry world. Here, Madge will learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible. And that wishes can come true... Plot A spaceship hovers in orbit over Earth in 1938 and readies its weapons to destroy open fire when it begins to spontaneously explode. The cause of the destruction, the Doctor, races for his life to escape the ship and seals off the part of the ship that is exploding but not before the section falls away and his is left dangling over the planet below. He tries to grab for an impact suit close by when he loses his grip and starts plummeting though the atmosphere, trying his hardest to get the suit on as he falls. In England, Madge Arwell rides her bike home when the Doctor falls from the sky into a nearby field; she finds him in a crater and opens the visor to find he has the helmet on backwards. On his request, she takes a neighbors' car, leaves a message with her son Cyril and, poorly, drives the Doctor to find a police box in the village; as she turns to leave though, the Doctor asks her if they can try again when he steps inside and it isn't the TARDIS. When Madge returns home, she finds her husband Reg reading about a supposed coming war and wonders where he thinks he'll be if it comes. Three years later, at the height the Second World War, Reg is flying his plane blind, looking for a guide to navigate his way. Seeing none, he looks at a picture of Madge and apologises as the smoking plane wobbles through the thick clouds. Sometime later, Madge receives a telegram, informing her that Reg was lost at sea but decides not tell her children, Cyril and Lily, what happened, as she wants to keep them happy at Christmas. Because of the bombing, they are to leave for Uncle Digby's country estate for the holiday and Madge promises Lily and Cyril that their father will be there. As her children break a wishbone, Madge makes a silent wish for help. They arrive at Digby's estate on Christmas Eve, where the Doctor greets them, introducing himself as the caretaker. He takes everybody around the estate, showing off various room that he'd "repaired" to make the children happy. When they get to the children's room - which had the bed replaced with hammocks to compensate for the Doctor's "repairs" - however, Madge loses her temper and tells the Doctor to stop and sends the children out of the room, regretting her yelling after they've gone. She tells him that their father is dead, but then wonders at herself why she keeps shouting at them. The Doctor explains that it's because she knows that they will be very sad when she tells them the bad news; their happiness until then is upsetting her and advises her to let them be happy now because that they are going to be very sad later. Before anything more can be said, they are interrupted by cries of delight from Cyril and Lily. They go to a room where the Doctor has set up an elaborate tree with a large gift box. Madge is shocked by the many toys the Doctor has put in the room. She turns to find him leaving once the children wonder who left them a gift. That night, Cyril pesters Lily about what is inside the present and decides to open it before Christmas out of curiosity. Opening the wrapped box, he finds it contains a portal to another world, a snow-covered forest; A tree sprouts what seems to be ornaments and he grabs one, sees a face looking at him on it and drops it. It starts to grow and Cyril lunges back through the box before it hatches. Upstairs, Lily is awakened by a noise upstairs and notices lights from the attic. She finds the Doctor working on the electrics with the TARDIS next to him. He lies that the TARDIS is his wardrobe, painted to look like a police box; once he observes a beeping light he is holding, he starts to wonder is Cyril is still in bed as Lily believes. To prove to the Doctor that Cyril is in bed, Lily takes him to see but they find a buch of teddy bears and pillows under the sheets. They head for the sitting room with the tree and find Cyril re-entering the portal. The Doctor enters and pulls Lily after him, explaining that it's a portal to another planet. They have arrived a few minutes after Cyril because of the nature of the portal. The Doctor explains this gift was supposed to be a supervised trip to one of the safest planets he knows, which also has beautiful natural Christmas trees. Meanwhile, Cyril has traced footprints left by the creature which earlier hatched from the "bauble". They lead to a tower-like structure. Back in the house, Madge feels uneasy and looks around for the others, only to find them gone. She finds the portal and enters the forest herself. She encounters three harvest rangers, who hold her at gunpoint. They explain that the forest is private property, and she's in danger because of the acid rain coming to melt the trees down into fuel. They do a scan of her, finding that she is not from their era. The portal leads to the future. Madge begins crying from the stress and shock of what's happening. Deciding Madge will trust them if they are unarmed, the three put away their weapons, asking if they can interrogate her now. Madge then turns the tables on them by pointing a gun at them, telling them she's from the time of the Second World War. Cyril has entered the structure and made his way to the top. Inside are wooden statues of a king and a queen. When Cyril sits on a throne in the top of the tower, the Wooden Queen comes to life and puts a crown on him. At the same time, the Doctor and Lily arrive and ascend the stairs. The Wooden King comes to life and follows them up. Finding Cyril, the Doctor then questions the Queen and King. They are trying to evacuate the forest's life force before the Androzani trees are melted. They lured Cyril to them, but he is too weak to carry their life force off the planet. To the Doctor's chagrin, he is also too weak. Lily is strong, but too young. Madge is taken to the harvest rangers' vehicle, where she has all but the female member of the trio tied up to get some answers; Madge trusts her more than the men. The female ranger says they can scan for her children and set up a radio feed to receive any voices within the area. However, as soon as this is set up, a warning about the acid rain sounds and the rangers are teleported away. Madge hears Cyril over the radio, saying he will wait at the tower until she comes as she always comes. Worried for the child's life, the Doctor tries explaining to Cyril that the portal they used to get to this planet will close soon, and they have to leave right away if they have a chance of avoiding the acid rain. However, the child is adamant and the rain begins; the tower won't hold up for long. They notice the ground shaking. Outside, the Rangers' vehicle, a giant robot, is being piloted poorly towards the tower. The Doctor recognises the driving style: Madge. She tells the Doctor he is fired as caretaker, before crashing the robot next to the tower. The Doctor rushes her inside, where the Wooden Queen and King decide she is both strong and old enough. The Doctor realises they are saying that all life comes from the "mother ship", and thus are insisting on a female host. The forest's life force enters Madge as the room separates from the tower and launches itself into the time vortex. On the Queen's instruction to think of her destination, the Doctor tells her to think of all the memories and emotions of her home until it hurts. Complying, Madge begins thinking of her husband, and how he followed her around all the time until she promised to marry him. She then sees a display of her husband's plane, lost at sea. Not wanting to see her husband crash, Madge asks the Queen and King not to show her that. Lily and Cyril realise she's been keeping a secret from them. In a flash of light, everyone is transported to Digby's lawn. The Doctor explains that the trees' life force, the Wooden Queen and Wooden King have left and are now out in space. Madge tries hugging her children, but they ask what she meant about their father dying. The Doctor excuses himself. When he steps outside, he rushes back to tell Madge to come out. Somehow, Reg has landed right behind them. The Doctor explains that her love led him into the time vortex, and he used the light from the escape pod as a guide to follow. Reg wonders what happened until he is told it's Christmas. He puts aside thought to enjoy the holiday with his family. Later, Madge enters the attic as the Doctor prepares to leave. Seeing the TARDIS, she realises the "caretaker" was the spaceman she helped years earlier. She asks him to stay and enjoy Christmas, but he tells her he cannot. Madge thinks he has loved ones of his own, but the Doctor says that they think he died and she orders him to go see them, insisting they shouldn't think he's dead at Christmas. As he enters the TARDIS, the Doctor tells Madge that if she ever needs his help again, she should make another wish. Reg enters as the TARDIS dematerialises. Madge explains the Doctor has returned to the time vortex, which she thinks is a lovely place. In the 21st Century, the Doctor arrives at Amy and Rory's. Amy answers the door with a water gun, thinking it is Christmas carollers again. He greets her awkwardly, wondering how long it has been since they last met. Amy tells him that it's been two years, and spritzes the Doctor with water as payback for yet another long wait. She says River told them the truth, that he didn't really die. They each then assert that they will not hug first. After they hug, Amy invites the Doctor in, calling Rory to see who's at the door. Rory tries pretending to be surprised, but Amy tells him that they're past that. The Doctor asks if they have room for one more. They tell him that they always set a place for him. As Amy and Rory head in, the Doctor leaks a few tears, to his own surprise. He wipes his eye and smiles before closing the door to join his friends for Christmas dinner. Cast * The Doctor - Matt Smith * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill * Madge Arwell - Claire Skinner * Cyril Arwell - Maurice Cole * Lily Arwell - Holly Earl * Reg Arwell - Alexander Armstrong * Co-pilot - Sam Stockman * Droxil - Bill Bailey * Ven-Garr - Paul Bazely * Billis - Arabella Weir * Wooden King - Spencer Wilding * Wooden Queen - Paul Kasey Crew To be added References To be added Story Notes To be added Continuity To be added Home video and audio releases To be added External Links * Official ''The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe'' page on '''Doctor Who Website